Heading South
They say careful what you wish for! We found a left hander, fast and hollow, just round from Tofinho called Back-door! But it was side on-shore, what a disappointment! Back home at the Mozambeat Motel, eating a fresh, half raw tuna steak served with rice and fresh local organic salad we checked Windguru and there it was: one more day of light north east wind and then it will blow stronger and north, that is to say side shore at Back-door…but what were we going to do tomorrow? “Go south !’’ said Thomas and I at once while Jules was again on Facebook acting as fatalistic as a Mozambican faced with political corruption or a year with no rain. ‘’Go south but where and what for?’’ replied Jules, deigning to lift his eyes from his cherished Iphone 6. ‘’Well if you had ever looked at a map of the Mozambique coast instead of spending your time checking all that useless social media news, you would know that in the south the coast bends to the west allowing the wind to accelerate as it will become tangential to the coast that is to say side shore’’, I argued furiously. ‘’You’re dreaming’’, said Jules. ‘’He’s not! Here it is: Windfinder is giving 5 more knots of wind about 60 km south’’, said Thomas. ‘’Let’s go find a left around there tomorrow then, but how are we gonna find the good trail to the sea as there are no signs on the road or simply no road most of the time?’’, I asked. ‘’With the help of my Iphone and Google earth’’, smiled Jules, ‘’You now have to admit that these little beauties are a great help for the forecast and driving around in such an undeveloped country.’’
‘’I never said that a smart phone is not useful regarding that kind of stuff, I am just saying that the way you young guys are using social media is pretty sad as you are constantly increasing your frustration and losing track of reality.’’, I argued. ‘’Increasing our frustration, I am not frustrated, you are because you don’t have an Iphone that’s it. And for goodness sake, who do you think you are telling people your reality, let the children be free to find their own!’’ – Jules.
‘’You mean to become slaves of what they post and read on the net: that’s your reality!’’, I said becoming frustrated. ‘’Boys we still have a good 12 hours before sunrise. Let’s talk about it and try to objectively find out what the effects of social media on us are, at least on our windsurfing life. I think it is quite funny and interesting’’, said Thomas, ever the pacifier. As the music playlist at the bar was good and the local rum (if you added lime and cane sugar to it) was great, we nearly spent the whole night speaking, drinking and laughing at each other. And yes, in the next chapter we will let you guys know our final thoughts on Facebook, quite interesting we believe! And by the way, before we close this part, the following day on our way south we did get lost on the road more than once even though Google earth was always there with us. But finally avoiding getting trapped in quicksand and with a bit of help from the local guys (who walk bare foot everywhere in a dried savannah full of mortal species) we found a beach access. It was called Praia da Zavora and there was a left-hander breaking side off shore on a sand bank off a deserted white sand beach. We got there 2 hours before sunset (which is as early as 5 o’clock down here) and Jules and Thomas rode until dark of course.